In this short five-part video series, NCSC provides information and tools for those who are thinking about becoming a conservator or conservators who have already been appointed by a court. The series gives an overview of what conservatorships are, the conservator’s responsibilities and role in protecting assets, why courts monitor expenses, and which expenses are allowable. Intended for the public and courts across the country and thus necessarily general in nature, the videos are helpful as an additional training resource but do not replace specific requirements and guidelines set by the local court.
See the transcript here.
For more general information on conservators, visit the Guardianship & Conservatorship Basics section.
To access the Probate Court Staff Series on Monitoring Conservatorships and Guardianships, click here.
What is a Conservator?
In this first video, you will learn about what a conservator is.
Responsibilities of a Conservator and Questions You Should Ask
In this second video, you will learn about the responsibilities of a conservator and questions you should ask when you are appointed.
Supplemental materials:
- Download the List of 'Questions You Should Ask' referenced in this video.
Reports to the Court
In this third video, you will learn about the various reports courts will likely ask you to submit along with some helpful tips.
Supplemental materials:
- For more information on common reports to the court, visit the Guardianship & Conservatorship Basics section.
- The free interactive online training ‘Finding the Right Fit’ offers more guidance and information to support someone who needs help making decisions and managing life as a conservator.
What Does It Take to Be a Good Conservator?
In this fourth video, you will learn about the characteristics and duties of a good conservator and what needs to be considered when you make decisions on behalf of another person.
Supplemental materials:
- For more about the qualifications and qualities of a good conservator visit the Guardianship & Conservatorship Basics section.
- The free interactive online training ‘Finding the Right Fit’ offers more guidance and information to support someone who needs help making decisions and managing life as a conservator.
Preventing and Detecting Fraud
In this last video, you will learn about practices and tools to assist conservators and other connected individuals of persons under conservatorship:
- to monitor financial activity
- to prevent fraud and financial abuse
- to know what to do when fraud or misuse is suspected
Supplemental materials:
- The free interactive online training ‘Finding the Right Fit’ offers more guidance on requesting conservatorship reports and methods to report fraud:
- One example of a financial monitoring service is EverSafe.
- For more information on monitoring conservatorships, visit the Guardianship & Conservatorship Basics section.
- To set up a credit freeze:
- Download an Annual Credit Review to compare and look for changes.
- Set up Credit Card Alerts:
This video series was supported by Cooperative Agreement 2018-V3-GX-K023, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.